PEABODY — More than one in four single mothers raising families in the city live in poverty and The Women’s Fund of Essex County is helping them.
The Women’s Fund gathered statistics in a 2017 report highlighting economic challenges faced by women that, it says, have been worsened by coronavirus.
“We understand these are extraordinary times,” said Elaine Quinn, advisory board vice president for the group, adding, “The Women’s Fund and its donors are honored to help these agencies (that) are making a vital difference in the lives of women, girls and families here in Essex County.”
One of 12 grants totaling $100,000 and announced Friday by The Women’s Fund is going to Citizens Inn. The Willis Street agency operates a food pantry and meals program that saw need among its clients increase 400 percent since coronavirus’ widespread late March onset.
“The grants are unrestricted. However, in keeping with our mission, we encourage agency recipients to use these funds for the benefit of women and girls wherever possible,” said advisory board president Ro French.
Statistics cited by The Women’s Fund in its report, “Women in Poverty in Essex County: A Call to Action,” stated that 1,318 women in Peabody were single parents heads of households in 2016 and 369 of those women lived in poverty.
For the study’s purposes, the report referenced 2015 federal Health and Human Services’ poverty guidelines defining the poverty line for a family of three as $20,090 in 2015.
“Low income is a result of reduced earnings from low-wage jobs, part-time work, unemployment, low pensions and low social security benefits,” stated the report.
In its 2017 report, The Women’s Fund noted that 54 percent of women in Peabody are homeowners.
The report also noted that low educational attainment disproportionately hurts women because of wage disparity and occupational segregation. Statistics cited in the report indicate 28 percent of women living in Peabody hold a bachelor’s degree or more advanced degree.
Budget Buddies is another organization sharing The Women’s Fund grant money. It works to build financial literacy, confidence, and security of low-income women and girls.
“This funding will go such a long way as we help to meet the needs of our clients and community members … It will allow us to adapt our workshops to make them available and accessible virtually that are increasingly … needed to help lift low-income women from the economic hardship caused by this pandemic, and to prevent more women from falling into poverty because of it,” said Danielle Piskaldo of Budget Buddies.
Founded in 2003, The Women’s Fund of Essex County has awarded over $2.3 million to over 180 non-profit programs.
